Oatmeal Cookies!

Because you asked...

These cookies are absolutely moreish, and very unlike your traditional oatmeal cookie. Light and crispy, they are fantastically buttery and the sea salt is a wonderful addition (I'd put salt on all my cookies if I could). Cook's Illustrated recommends you bake these cookies one sheet at a time, which will allow them to cook more even evenly. I also added cinnamon, because oatmeal cookies just aren't the same without it...

Crispy Oatmeal Cookies with Sea Salt
(adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

Ingredients
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
14 Tbsp (7 oz) unsalted butter, just below room temp.
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
sea salt flakes, to top

Method

Preheat oven to 175ºC (350ºF) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat (or more if you have them!)

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract.

Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in batches, then gradually add in rolled oats, being careful not to over-mix. If your butter has warmed up too much, just stick the dough in the refrigerator for a while to cool it down - if too warm, it will cause your cookies to spread more than you'd like.

Portion into walnut-sized balls of dough (about 2 Tbsp) and place onto prepared baking sheet. I started out with eight to a sheet, but had to bring it down to five as the dough warmed up - just be careful not to make your cookies too large or put them too closely together, or you'll end up with one giant cookie! Flatten to about 3/4 inch thick, and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 13-16 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Remove when edges are crisp and the middle has set, and allow to cool completely on sheet.


And that's how it's done! I had promised myself only one cookie since I'm trying to keep my daily caloric intake below 1,900, but one turned into three, somehow...don't worry, they're definitely worth it.

2012 & My First English Snow Day

Hello everyone! I've been trying to think of something to write about for the past few days, since I feel really crap about never updating my blog. I think it has something to do with not completely loving to talk about myself...but probably a bit more with being essentially very unmotivated and a bit (well, a lot) lazy. But here I am! Much has happened since my last post in...err...September? (I'm sorry! I really am!) Barny and I had our little courthouse wedding (though not technically in a courthouse) - I will stop here to remind any of my friends and/or family reading this that it was not our final and definitive wedding event, you were not left out and we are currently planning something mega exciting for this summer! As most people know, it was mostly a matter of convenience that moved us to get married in the UK; the immigration process is very complicated (despite what the tabloid newspapers would have you believe...) and we figured it would be more straightforward to settle the legal bit here and then host an amazing fête in the States later.

Anyway! So we did that, then ventured back to Oregon for a few weeks where Barny and I took turns being ill, eating loads of delicious American food (which I didn't think I would miss as much as I have!), and generally not seeing our people as much as we wanted to. When we got home, I submitted my Leave to Remain application, and am now allowed to stay for another two years! Barny is nearing the end of his time at Marussia Racing, formerly Marussia Virgin Racing (formerly Virgin Racing), which means the days of massive travel are over! I'll miss Japanese candies and Belgian chocolate and getting postcards from far away but I will NOT miss spending lots of time alone.

And what else...it snowed! We took our sledge (sled to us Americans) up the road and halfway to Bloxham but failed to find a fantastic hill to slide down, so gave up and went home. That's about it. I have compiled a list of things I find myself enjoying recently:

• Chocolate teacakes (Barny finds this term confusing since apparently teacakes are actually fruited buns, but the wrapper definitely says teacake!) The best ones (that I know of) are from Marks & Spencer and are basically a chocolate biscuit, topped with marshmallow creme and covered in chocolate. Yes.
• Fish and Chips (probably an understatement since my English people know that I am fiendish about fish and chips from our local chippy)
• This Book
• MiH jeans

I also made an absolutely delicious lemon cake yesterday. We're talking dangerously good. When I suggested to B that he take some in to work to share with the guys, he appeared offended.

Lemon Cake (adapted from Cook Republic)

Ingredients

125 g unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

3 medium eggs

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted

Juice of 1 lemon

4 fl. oz. milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180º C (350º F). Grease a 9 x 5" loaf tin, line the bottom with parchment paper.

Cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix in flour, then add lemon juice and mix for a few seconds. Add milk slowly and mix until combined.

Scrape batter into prepared pan, and bake for approximately 50-60 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then unmold on a rack to cool right side up.

I made a simple lemon glaze by mixing together icing sugar with a little milk and lemon juice and topped the cake with that, as well as some homemade candied lemon peel. It is Very Good, and it is sitting on the kitchen counter trying to convince me that I need a slice. But I've already had three teacakes today.

x Christina